Hope for the Weary
by dreamerinfic
Summary: Jack and Martha meet again on the TARDIS after leaving the Valiant in LOTTL. An angst filled introspection with a bit of fluff thrown in. Please let me know what you think as I'm experimenting with these characters and want to know if I should continue to


**Title:** Hope for the Weary  
**Spoilers:** Through LOTTL

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Doctor Who…the BBC does.  
**Summary:** Jack and Martha meet again on the TARDIS after leaving the Valiant in LOTTL. An angst filled introspection with a bit of fluff thrown in. Please let me know what you think as I'm experimenting with these characters and want to know if I should continue to write them. Thank you in advance. 

The three of them piled into the TARDIS once more, all of them a little more worn, a little less whole than before. The battle was over, the year of terror had never been and yet they all felt defeated somehow. And each of the travelers knew that their lives would never be the same again.

In the Console Room they stopped and looked at each other, silently acknowledging that they needed some time before their next trip. Time to rest, to think, to mourn. Jack and Martha filed through the corridor towards their rooms, each lost in their own thoughts, leaving the Doctor alone with his grief.

When they reached Martha's room she kissed Jack lightly on the cheek before opening her door and letting herself into the comforting surroundings. She was so tired…she couldn't remember the last time that she'd slept in a real bed, had a real bath. How long had it been since she'd enjoyed life instead of thinking only of saving the world? Tears threatened behind her eyes but she pushed them away. What she needed was a nice long soak in a tub. Slipping out of her clothes she made her way to the bathroom to wash away the year that had never been.

Two doors down Jack was doing the same. He'd spent a whole year in the same set of clothes and was pretty sure that burning would be in order for what was left of them. His arms still ached from the chains and his skin itched from being unwashed for so long. He turned on the shower and stepped inside, letting the water cascade over him, washing away the stench of captivity.

He thought about all that had happened in the last year. His goal had always been to make it through, to survive. He had known the Doctor had a plan…he'd had faith that he would get them out, that he would save the world. But he hadn't thought about that plan including Martha.

Jack had endured torture, beatings, interrogations, starvation, death and general hell. But Martha…she'd been down on Earth actively fighting for the freedom of millions of people. She'd been the hero this time. She'd saved them.

He looked down at his body. No scars showed there from his year with the Master. Everything was the same as it had always been; one of the bonuses of being unable to die. But Jack knew that he was not the same man he had been before. He was a bit more broken. He was so tired…so weary of the constant struggle to survive. And now here they were, back on the TARDIS as if nothing had happened…but everything had happened.

Jack stepped out of the shower and toweled dry, grabbing his robe from a hook on the door. He looked longingly at the freshly made bed and then thought of Martha again, spending her year walking the earth to save her family, her friends and her world. He stepped out into the hallway and made his way to her bedroom door, then raised his hand to knock.

Wrapped tightly in a robe provided by the TARDIS, Martha gazed at her reflection in the mirror looking for any signs of change, of maturation, of a war fought and won. But there was none. She shook her head as she stepped back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. The room looked different somehow, like it had belonged to another person. And she supposed it had.

The Martha that sat here now was a new one. She felt older, wiser. But she also felt more fragile, more tired, more in need of someone to lean on. But she hadn't done that in so long. She hadn't let herself feel weakness or pain or failure. She hadn't let herself think about what would happen to the earth without the Doctor, what would happen if their plan failed. And now she felt drained.

She fell back on the bed and let the tears flow. Tears that had been held back for so long, that had been buried inside her throughout the terrible year, now surged to the surface. Then a knock sounded on her door.

She wondered who it could be…there were only two choices. Guiltily she hoped that it wasn't the Doctor. She didn't have the energy to deal with his grief over losing the Master. Then there was Jack. She thought of him as she walked to the door, wondering at how he had spent the last year. It must have been horrible being tortured day in and day out. She reached out and opened the door…

There stood Jack, a vision in a white robe, dark hair and blue eyes. Briefly she wondered if he wore anything beneath, then looked down at herself in panic and shyly clutched her robe tighter around her.

Jack grinned, "Can I come in, or is this a bad time."

Martha opened the door wider, "No, fine time. Come in."

She stepped aside and let him pass. He walked a few paces then turned to face her.

"Martha," he began, and then he noticed the tears in her eyes. She'd been crying. He went to her, taking her hands in his, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, "Just a little emotional. It's been a rough year." A tear slipped down her cheek.

Jack reached up and brushed it away, "Martha, I came in here to thank you."

"You don't need to thank me Jack. You would've done the same thing. I just did what I was told, what I had to do to survive."

Jack shook his head, his blue eyes looking deeply into hers, "No Martha, you're better than me. Better than all of us. You did what we couldn't."

Martha tried to stop the torrent of tears from flowing, but failed, "Jack, Please. I can't talk about it right now. It's too much."

"Shhhh…," he soothed and pulled her into an embrace, tucking her head against his broad shoulder. "I know…It's alright, I'm sorry. Let it out."

How long she stood there sobbing against his shoulder she couldn't say, but he never let go. And when the tears ran out and she looked up into his eyes she felt closer to him than anyone else.

Martha reached up and traced the line of his jaw. Jack gently wiped the last of her tears away and then cupped his hands around her face. As their lips met and melded and the kiss deepened each of them knew that this is where they were meant to be. This was the only other person in the universe who could understand. The hurt and the pain and the weariness seemed to flee before them. Hope blossomed; and they both whole again…just for a moment.


End file.
